Friday, June 14, 2013

Ubisoft finally unveiled gameplay of Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag at Sony's E3 press conference, and while there were some hiccups, it looks to bring stealth back to the series. The most intriguing part of the demo was the seamless change from land to sea as Edward Kenway, grandfather of Conner Kenway from Assassin’s Creed 3, jumps from rooftop to rooftop to the back of his ship the Jackdaw, instantly taking command of it amongst a sea battle. Along with a new cinematic trailer below, Ubisoft also showed off a new gameplay trailer, featuring the song "Half Circle" by Full Moon Run, at their press conference. Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag releases on October 29 for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii U, and PC, with Xbox One and PlayStation 4 versions coming later this year.

BioWare finally unveiled footage for the upcoming conclusion, Dragon Age: Inquisition. Dropping the number three from the title, Inquisition runs on the Frostbite 3 engine while taking inspirations from games like The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. BioWare noted the world of Inquisition would be more open than previous games with less of a focus on linear story telling. BioWare is also looking into ways to import save data from previous games where choices will affect the narrative as well as possible feature previous protagonists, as hinted at in the trailer with Morrigan showing up. Dragon Age: Inquisition is slated to release for the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC in fall 2014.

After several attempts and restarts by multiple studios, a new Battlefront is actually happening. During EA's press conference, they snuck in the above teaser trailer, showing the frigid wasteland of Hoth as a snowspeeder crashes across the screen and an AT-AT foot stomps down. It's been eight years since the last games, Battlefront 2, and with the newly christened deal between Disney and EA, DICE is set to develop the new Battlefront on the Frostbite 3 engine. There are no other details about the game beyond that. Pre-production just barely started so don't expect Battlefront to come to current generation consoles or any time before 2015.

Need for Speed: Rivals is sounding more and more like the perfect blend of Hot Pursuit and Most Wanted after its showing at EA's press conference. Set in an open-world build in the Frostbite 3 engine, Rivals will take a stab at blending singleplayer and multiplayer by populating the world with other players while online, meaning races and pursuits between other players could happen at almost any time. Meanwhile, Rivals also has a complete singleplayer campaign for both cops and racers. Ghost Games is putting a focus the pursuit, giving tools such as spike strips and EMPs that were absent in Most Wanted. You can see the full reveal trailer shown at the press conference below. Need for Speed: Rivals releases for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC on November 19, with Xbox One and PlayStation 4 versions coming later.

Thursday, June 13, 2013

After years of whispers about a possible sequel, EA finally unveiled a follow up to Mirror’s Edge this year at their E3 press conference. While not exactly Mirror’s Edge 2, this new game will be a prequel to the original game, telling the origin story of Faith. The game will utilize the new Frostbite 3 engine and work as an open-world game. No dates were announced for this new Mirror’s Edge, with the trailer simply saying coming when it’s ready, but it will be released for next-generation consoles and PC.

The newest trailer for Batman: Arkham Origins was unveiled during Sony’s E3 press conference showing a noticeably younger Batman, Bane, and Joker. Developed by Warner Bros. Montreal instead of former studio Rocksteady, Arkham Origins is set as a prequel taking place during the early years of Batman’s career. Because of this, Mark Hamill and Kevin Conroy are not returning as the voice of the Joker and Batman, instead recruiting Troy Baker, who voiced Booker DeWitt in BioShock Infinite, and Roger Craig Smith. Arkham Origins takes place on Christmas Eve in Gotham as Black Mask puts out the call for five assassins to take down Batman. Three of those five, Bane, Deadshot, and Deathstroke, have been named so far with Penguin being rumored as a fourth. Batman: Arkham Origins releases on October 25 for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii U, and PC.

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

DICE introduced two new gameplay demos this week, one at the Microsoft press conference and another at the EA press conference, showcasing both the singleplayer and multiplayer aspects of Battlefield 4. A total of 64 people on were live on stage playing the multiplayer demo on PCs, but next-generation consoles will also support up to 64 players. While the singleplayer trailer below has the player gauntlet through a scripted escape sequence off an aircraft carrier, the multiplayer shows the level of fidelity Battlefield 4 brings with its destruction on the new Frostbite 3 engine. Battlefield 4 releases on October 29 for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC, with Xbox One and PlayStation 4 versions coming later this year.

Nearly three years after its formation by former Infinity Ward founders Jason West and Vince Zampella, Respawn Entertainment finally unveiled their game, Titanfall, as the exclamation point on Microsoft’s E3 press conference. Titanfall is first-person shooter featuring a hybrid gameplay mix of on foot pilots and mechs called Titans. Despite being multiplayer only, the game aims to blend fast-paced round-based multiplayer with the cinematic singleplayer aspect of modern shooters. Built on the Source engine, Titanfall is designed to offload physics calculations and AI to servers, making matches run smoother and faster on consoles. You can see the full reveal trailer showcasing more of the story of Titanfall below. Scheduled for release in spring 2014, Titanfall will be exclusive for the Xbox One, Xbox 360, and PC.

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

A new cinematic trailer was shown for Thief during Microsoft's press conference this week. The trailer focuses squarely on Garrett, the master thief of the city out to take what he wants. While no gameplay was shown, the game is playable behind closed doors on the E3 show floor, with small showcases of gameplay on variousstagedemos. However, Eidos did release some new screenshots from the classic first-person perspective that you can see below. Thief is slated to come to the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC sometime in 2014.

CD Projekt RED unveiled the newest gameplay trailer for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt during Microsoft's E3 press conference on Monday. While the trailer is pretty standard, showing off the high visual fidelity the series has been known for since The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings, there are also several shots entirely in CG. Like their previous Cyberpunk 2077trailer, CD Projekt RED managed to sneak a small message in the trailer right before the title unveil. Below is a screen capture of that message, but if you can't make it out, the entire message is posted below. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is due sometime in 2014 for the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC.

Watch Dogs, the stand-out game from E3 2012, is back this year again with a brand new CG trailer and lengthy gameplay demo during the Sony press conference. The demo shows off the interconnected city of Chicago and the various ways players can manipulate the environment to plan their escapes. It’s nice to see hacking in game that uses it as a gameplay mechanic rather than a simple minigame. The demo also highlights second-screen capabilities with a tablet. Watch Dogs is coming to the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii U, and PC on November 19, with Xbox One and PlayStation 4 versions coming later in the year.

Thursday, June 6, 2013

A new Saints Row 4 trailer released just in time for E3. The President of the United States is stuck in a Zin simulation and it's up to the Saints to get him free, including Pierce, Kinzie, Shaundi, Shaundi from Saints Row 2, newcomer Asha Odekar, the return of Benjamin King from the first Saints Row, and Keith David as himself as the Vice President of the United States. Unlike the Power-induced trailer for Saints Row The Third, this trailer plays accompanied by dramatic music that would fit more appropriately for an Oscar-nominated movie. All of this, of course, while the President of the United States shoots aliens in the streets of the city naked. Saints Row 4 releases on August 20 for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC.

Who am I?

Cameron Wright

I'm a freelance game critic. I write news articles, features, reviews, and critiques for PC and console games in addition to other topics across the industry. I was a senior editor for Darth Hater before I started freelancing. Since then, I've written for IGN, Complex, Gameranx, and PC Gamer.